An extremely controversial subject: What is the best Taylor Swift album?
After Taylor released her re-recording of “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” and announced the retaping of the entire 2008 “Fearless” album, I thought sharing my own opinions on this topic was a complete necessity. My rankings are made based on jam-ability (you know, do you want to belt all the songs on your drive home with your friends?), emotions evoked (obviously) and overall ~vibes~ of each album. Without further ado, here are my biased and indisputable rankings of Taylor Swift albums and my favorite song from each.
- Fearless (2008)
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You know what they say, “second is the best.” Swift was only 20 when Fearless, her second album, was released, ultimately winning her four Grammys, including album of the year. This album NEVER fails to put a smile on my face. Whether I want to belt out “You Belong With Me” in the car or get in my feels with “Breathe,” this album will ALWAYS be my go-to. The album’s best song is “Love Story” followed closely by runner-up “Fifteen.”
- Speak Now (2010)
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Speak Now was written entirely by Taylor herself. It’s #2 because of its beautiful and complex exploration of relationships and how our expectations of love may differ from our presented realities. Coming in at number one is a tie between “The Story of Us” and “Dear John.”
- folklore (2020)
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If I’m honest, folklore may possibly be the ONLY good thing to come out of quarantine. Listen to the album from start to finish, in order, for the full effect, and then go ahead and listen to “Betty” on repeat (I sure did).
- Taylor Swift (2006)
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Taylor released her debut album, Taylor Swift, when she was only 14, AND all five singles released were certified platinum! Because it explores the themes of first love and growing up, the album definitely brings me back to my childhood. “Our Song” comes in at number one.
- evermore (2020)
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I couldn’t think of anything I would want more than a new TSwift album to end my 2020 and kick off my 2021 — evermore was that perfect gift. The album is so soothing and narratively rich that I fall in love with the lyrics more and more upon every listen. It was really hard to pick my favorite from this album, but I have to present a three-way tie to “no body, no crime,” “champagne problems” AND “willow” (they are all just SO GOOD!).
- 1989 (2014)
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1989 marked a huge turning point for Swift: her transition from country to pop. This album won her three Grammys. My favorite song is “Out of the Woods”
- Red (2012)
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I feel like lots of people would rank Red higher, but none of the songs really stuck out to me as they did in previous rankings. However, tied for number one is “All Too Well” and “Stay Stay Stay”
- Lover (2019)
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Though I love the hard-hitting messages of most songs in the album and how Swift tackles pressing topics like politics with ease, Lover will never be my “go-to” album like some of the others. However, the best song on this album is definitely “The Man.”
- Reputation (2017)
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Though Reputation is technically last on this list, it’s still nothing short of incredible. Swift’s Reputation tour became the highest-grossing tour of all time in the U.S., and “…Ready for it?” never fails to put me in a powerful mood. For me, “Delicate” comes in at number one!
Those are my completely biased and indisputable rankings! Now go listen to some Taylor!